Lumber-drying truck.



N0. 637,308. Patented Nov. 2|, I899.

G. X. WE'NDLING &. 0. W. CRAWFORD. LUMBER DRYING TRUCK.

(Application filed Sept. 14, 1899.-

(.No Model.)

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m: Ncmzis PETERS co. PHoTu-Lrma. wnsmuswu, n. c.

No. 637,308. I Patented Nov. 2|, I899. G.-X. WENDLING & 0. w. CRAWFORD.

LUMBER DRYING TRUCK,

(Application filed Sept. 14, l899.|

(No Modal.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3;

No. 637,308. Patented Nov. 2|, I899. G. X. WENDLING &. U. W. CRAWFORD.

LUMBER DRYING TRUCK.

(Application filed Sept. 14, 1899.) (No Model.) 5 Sheets-5heet 4.

IX beam was m2 ucnms PETERS co. FHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, u. c

Patentedflov. 2|, I899. G. X. WENIJLING &. 0. W. CRAWFORD.

LUMBER DRYINGTRUCK.

(Application filed Sept. 14, 1899.-

5 Sheets-Sheet 5,

{No Model.)

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Fig. 5, a plan view of one of the trucks; Fig.

spaced apart to support the lumber.

GEORGE X.' WENDLING AND NrTn TATES-s LUMBER-DRYING TRUCK;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 637,308, dated November21, 1899.

' A natan flied September 14,1899. SerialNO- 730,491. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE X. WEND- LING and ORLIN W. ORAwFoRD,citizensof the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of SanFrancisco and State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Lumber-Drying Trucks, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to lumber-driers, its object being to provide anapparatus upon which the lumber may be stacked flatwise, with suitablespacing-strips between the layers, and the stack be subsequently turnedbodily to bring theilayers edgewise, and thus provide a series ofvertical flues between the layers, upwhich the heated air or otherdrying medium will pass.

The invention will be fully described hereinafter, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation ofour improved apparatus, showing the stack of lumber thereon, the layersbeing flatwise. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, an ende1evation showing the stack partially turned; Fig. i, a similar viewshowing the stack completely turned to bring the layers edgewise;

6, a vertical transverse section of the truck and lumber-supportingframe.

In carrying out our invention we propose to use a plurality of trucksand frames The number of trucks and frames employed will depend upon thelength of the lumber to be dried, and may range from two to six or more.Ordinarily two trucks will bev sufiicient'for lumber sixteen feet orless in length.

The truck will preferably be formed of a pair of parallel beams AA,spaced apart and connected by tie-plates B B at their ends. For strengthand lightness the beams will preferably be of T-iron, as shown in thedrawings, but this is not essential.

The ends of the tie-plates B are extended outwardly and downwardly andbifurcated to form bearings 1 1 for the truck-Wheels 2, the latter beingflanged and adapted to run upon track-rails 3. The plates B are alsoprovided with upwardly-extending spaced bearings 4: 1, in whichsupporting and guiding rollers are journaled, one of these rollersbeingindicated by 5 and the other by 6. The roller 5 is provided with aflange 7 at each end and with a circumferential groove 8 close to oneflange, for a purpose to be hereinafter referred to.

The roller 6 is provided with a flange 9 at one end in line with one ofthe flanges 7 on the roller 5. It is also provided with gearteeth 10 inline with and of substantially the same width as the groove 8 in theroller 5. At its other end the roller 6 is provided with a bevel-gear11, the inner face of which is in line with the inner face of the otherflange 7 on the roller 5, and the inner face of this gear 11 serves as aguide for the lumber-supporting frame, as will be referred to more fullyhereinafter.

The plate B, upon which the roller 6 is supported, is also provided withan arm 12, carrying a sleeve 13, which serves as abearing for a shaft14. The latter is provided with a crank-handle 15 at one end and abevel-gear 16 at its other end, meshing with the gear 11. It is obviousthat when the shaft 14c is rotated the roller 6 and its gear 10 willalso be rotated.

Depending from the beams A A, about midway their length, are guiding andsupporting plates C C. As shown, these plates are bolted or otherwisefirmly secured to the stems of the T-irons of which the beams A areformed, and they are bent to bring the opposing faces of their lowerportions in substantially the same vertical planes as those of the innerfaces of the flanges 7.

The lumber-supporting frame is indicated by D, and it is movablysupported and guided by the rollers 5 and 6 and the plates C C on thetruck. As shown, the frame consists of of the segmental bar 18, and thebraces 22 and tie-plates 23 will preferably be bolted to the stems.

As shown, the bars 19 and 21 are arranged at a right angle to eachother, while the short bar 21 extends diagonally from one to the otherat their adjacent ends.

E is a bar curved like the bar 18 and secured thereto. It extends theentire length of the bar 18 and is provided with a downwardlyprojectingflange 6, which extends somewhat more than half its length. The edge ofthis flange is provided with teeth t to form a rackbar. The side of thebar E is outside the edge of the bar 18, and the teeth are adapted toengage with the gear-teeth 10 on the roller 6 and also to project intothe groove 8 of the roller 5. The bar 18 and bar E together are of suchwidth as .to fit closely, but loosely,

between the flange 9 and inner face of the bevel-gear 11 between theplates 0 and between the flanges 7 of the roller 5, and these flanges,gear, and plates will serve to guide the frame and maintain it invertical position.

At the outer end of the bar 21 is a loop a, with which the end h of abar H is adapted to be detachably engaged. To the other end of the bar[I a chain G is attached, and this chain is adapted to be detachablyengaged with any suitable holding device 7.: on the outer end of the bar19.

Having described the preferred manner of constructing the truck andlumber-supporting frame, We will now describe the manner of using them.

The necessary number of trucks and frames will be spaced apart thedesired distance to properly support the lumber to be dried, and thelatter will then be piled up upon the sup porting-framefiatwise,suitablespacing-strips f being interposed between the severallayers of lumber. \Vhen the frame is filled, the bar H will be engagedwith the loop a and the chain G secured on the catch 70, thereby bindingthe lumber securely upon the frame. \Vhen the lumber is thus securedupon all the frames, the crank-handles 15 will be turned, and by therotation of the gears 10 the several frames will be caused to turn aboutthe radial center of the bar 18, and when they have turned aquarter-circle the lumber will be supported edgewise on the frames, andthe spacing-strip f will cause a series of vertical fines to be formedbetween the layers, up which the hot air or other drying medium canpass,and thus subject the lumber to the action of such drying medium onopposite sides uniformly. As the frame is turned about its axial centerthe teeth of the rack-bar E, which project slightly beyond thebearing-surface of the bar 18, will when they reach the roller 5 findclearance in the groove 8.

Vhile we have illustrated and described certain details of constructionas being preferable, it is to be undertood that we do not limit theembodiment of our invention to the precise forms shown, as such may bemodified and changed in many ways without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of our invention.

Having described the invention, we claim 1. In an apparatus for dryinglumber, a plurality of trucks, each carrying a frame upon which thelumber is supported, said trucks and frames being spaced apart, andmechanism mounted upon the trucks and connected to the respective framesto cause the latter to turn about their axial centers, substantially asset forth.

2. In an apparatus for drying lumber, a truck provided with supportingand guiding rollers, and a lumber-supporting frame comprising in part asegmental bar to engage said rollers, and gearing mounted on the truckand engaging teeth on the semicircular bar, whereby the latter may beturned about its radial center, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

3. In an apparatus for drying lumber, a truck having spaced parallelbeams, and guiding and supporting rollers, combined with alumber-supporting frame having asa part thereof a segmental bar adaptedto be supported upon the rollers and extend between the beams, arack-bar on the semicircular bar, and gearing mounted on the truck andengaged with the rack-bar, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

4. In an apparatus for drying lumber, a truck having spaced parallelbeams, guiding and supporting rollers mounted above said beams, andguide-plates depending from said beams, combined with alumber-supporting frame, having an outersegmental bar adapted to besupported upon said rollers and Work between said guide-plates,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an apparatus for drying lumber, a truck having spaced parallelbeams, guiding and supporting rollers mounted above said beams, one ofsaid rollers having a gear-wheel, and guide-plates depending from thebeams, combined with a lumber-supporting frame having an outer segmentalbar adapted to be supported upon said rollers and to move between saidplates, a rack-bar on the semicircular bar to engage the gear-wheel onthe roller, and means to rotate the latter, substantially as set forth.

6. A lumber-supporting frame, comprising the segmental bar 18, the bars19 and 21 arranged at a right angle to each other, and braces forrigidly connecting the bars 19 and 21 to the bar 18, substantially asset forth.

beams A A, tie-plates B, bearings 1 projectnames to this specificationin the presence of ing from said plates, supporting-Wheels 2 twosubscribing Witnesses. journaled in said bearings, bearings 4 extendingupwardly from said plates B, supporting 5 and guiding rollers 5, 6,journaled in the bearings 4, and means to rotate one of said Witnesses:rollers, substantially as set forth. GEORGE F. HATTON.

In testimony whereof we have signed our H. F. PEART.

